Is The 2011 Phillies Rotation Really The Best We've Ever Seen?

With the addition of Cliff Lee, people have already gone into hyperbolic mode wondering if this is the best rotation ever.

Certainly a staff that includes Lee, Cy Young winner Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, World Series MVP Cole Hamels, and Joe Blanton is pretty darned good. That group has combined for six 20-win seasons, 13 All-Star game appearances and three Cy Young Awards.

But how will they fare in 2011 as a group. Well, let's start by looking at what they did in 2010...

Those are some impressive numbers. Consider that, in 2010 only six teams had their starting pitchers throw at least 1,000 innings, and that includes replacements and part-timers. Also, the A's led the Major Leagues with a 3.47 ERA among their starting pitchers and the Cardinals were tops with a 3.70 FIP. And the best starting pitching WAR? That was the Red Sox and Rockies at 18.9 Wins.

But how does this rotation stack up historically? Actually, we don't have to look very far for comparable rotations. Just in the last 30 years, we have seen five teams with starting pitchers that posted a better WAR than the 2011 Phillies rotation did in 2010.

So while the 2011 Phillies certainly look strong on paper, they are still only in the same neighborhood as the 1997 Braves that featured Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, Greg Maddux, and Denny Neagle. Of course, that team had a slew of quality pitchers helping out in the fifth spot of the rotation.

So let's just compare the top four pitchers of each team...

The 1997 Braves still have the edge, although it is certainly close.

Of course, the Phillies still have to go out there and do it on the field. But there is one way they can trump these other teams. Of the other six teams listed above, only the 1985 Royals won the World Series.